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Mr. Saturdi LIGHTSCAMERAREACTION STEPHEN BROWN Staff Writer PULP FICTION (out of four stars) One moment you're pulling back in horror. And the next moment you can't control your laughter. Thafs the thrilling sensation director Quentin Tarantino creates in his splashy new piece, "Pulp Fiction," an audacious interweaving of three stories about a surprisingly sympathetic, vulgar underclass amidst the modern American crimescape. It is complete with blood-drenched violence, un/*nmnmmiainrr rovoncro anrl oMc nf foto VUUDUlg * Vf VXigV U11U UVV1UV11MU UVWO VI AWW* "Fiction" takes a humorous glimpse at commonplace themes through people far removed from mainstream reality. Definitely not a film for the weak of heart, it contains harsh language, graphic violence, explicit sexual references and blatant drug use as vital elements to the storyline and themes. One of the keys to Tarantino's modern masterpiece is the casting of the primary characters. The strutting '70s icon John Travolta plays the longhaired Vincent as a somewhat clumsy but likable criminal with a goofy grin. Vincent faces preposterous scenarios ranging from escorting the wife of his crime boss on an awkward arranged date and blowing an otherwise perfectly good day by acci dentally shooting a friend in the backseat of his car. His afro-headed partner Jules, played by Samuel L. Jackson, is an over-the-top scripture shouting sadist who bills himself as "Superfly TNT." Together they engage in wild discussions of popular culture reminiscent of the discourse in Tarantino's landmark first film, "Reservoir Dogs." The two also engage in violence when necessary. Other main characters include Butch, a cowardly prizefighter played by Bruce Willis; Mia, a mysterious gangster moll played by Uma Thurman; Mr. Wolf, a discrete crime clean-up specialist played by crime movie legend Harvey Keitel; and Tarantino himself as a neat freak and unwilling accomplice to murder. The film's violence supplies it with a deft comic touch. The crime lord Marsalis, after being attacked, vows, Tm gonna get medieval on your ass," promising ultimate revenge with pliers and blowtorches. When Butch searches for a weapon in a pawn shop, he puts down a bat, then a chainsaw, settling instead on a classical but effective samurai sword. Tarantino. who scriDted the film and co-wrote its stories with Roger Avary, has a brilliant command of vocabulary. Among the pure joys of his work is the dialogue, often containing lines the viewer simply does not expect at a given time. Characters are most prone to discuss food directly after a murder. And the violence of the story is so commonplace that it seems only natural for a character to tell another, "You should be on brain detail," un ydCUp'U*^ G^ X. i fb ^ Ss^ ? 1 Ti coLum 2S4 Harb ison Boulevard Three ways to b the high cost of co 1. The Montgomery CI B 2. Student loan repaying 3. Part-time income The Army Reserve Alternate Training Program i: college. First, if you qualify, the Montgomery GI Bill can | $6,840 for current college expenses or approved vo/tecl Second, if you have?or obtain?a qualified stude you may get it paid off at the rate of 15% per year or $500, up to a maximum of $10,000. Selected military skills car Third, you can earn part-time money in college, a One summer you take Basic Training, and the next sum training at an Army school. You'll earn over $ 1,500 for B skill training. Then you'll attend monthly meetings at ar near your college, usually one weekend a month plus tw be paid over $105 a weekend to start. It's worth thinking l-800-USA-ARMy BE ALL YOU CAN BE.' ARMY RESERV ay night do % ' r. M*? mm w 99^B Strutting '70s icon John Travolta oiavs Vincent as he cleans up the bloody mess of a freshly splattered corpse. Double entendres such as "taking her out" and "taking care of him" result in humorous double takes when it is unclear whether the characters love others or want to kill them. The fact that characters retain a keen ear for grammatical correctness even when using racial jargon, spewing four-letter words and killing indiscriminately underscores Tarantino's premise that violence is so commonplace in society that other topics (such as dangling prepositions, rather than dangling arteries) are much more shocking. Vincent is flabbergasted at one point during mass mayhem that Mr. Wolf does not say "please" when giv J ing oraers. The music is all over the place, shifting with the tone of the film. The scrolling opening credits look like a B-kung fu movie as the soundtrack blasts "Jungle Boogie" by Kool and the Gang. Later, Vincent and Mia take part in a twist contest at a nostalgic drive-in style restaurant, a comic touch harkening back to Travolta's boogie days and demonstrating Tarantino's obsession with the effect of pop culture on the American Way. When Mia dances furiously to the sound of Urge Overkill, her pent-up sexual tension reaches a fever pitch. Tarantino overlaps his stories carefully. One of the plots revolves around lovers played by Amanda Hummer and Tim Roth who hold up liquor stores in their spare time. When they hold up a coffee shop 1 I tea i liege. first && 7?, 9 ;;pONA|0^:;9? "Student ID requi :nt s a smart way to pay for | Did You Kno\ provide you with up to Plasma 1i|in essen l training. an on-goflig need fc nt loan not in default, ^ whicheverisgreate, i double that maximum. nd here's how it works: Just a few hours of mer you receive skill help make the differ iasic and even more for ^ MiIes is 8eeJdng SJ1 1 Army Reserve unit share their good he o weeks a year. You 11 you're at least 18 ye [ about. Give us a call: requirements you cs r you earn! MILE E 1916 Tayloi Note* Ptmmt donor* mo impel to ?dM i 'uut Cm*. c 4#**** &** Ct- z tvl ^ t.. " f ism Across from Columbiana' Centre es heroin - 1 ^??5?1i A fllll :iiH i sJ Jj^A ' ^ ES Br W j % II i^^Hn ___ -_iii_jfl^gg^2jfcZ3[X3^HBBBHBSIE!I??_2EM?J cu Miramax Rims S? : Vega in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction." C< during the film's introduction, they have no idea ^ Vinii/ tVio film'o n+Vior* ^Vior-aftor-o will /?nmo fiill rirrlo ilVTT W11V Ulili U VUX1W V11U1 UV Wi U WW U1 VViUV X I4ii Vll V1V XX to join them. One classic sequence involves Vincent's quest ^ to save Mia's life when she overdoses on drugs. For ^ most people the logical place to go would be the hos- ^ pital, but Vincent and Mia's world is altogether dif- ge ferent They find themselves at the home of Lance af (Eric Stoltz) who supplies Vincent with the longest ar needle in history with which to bring Mia back to ' consciousness. The horror of her bloodied nose laced with white powder is juxtaposed with a foot-long cj adrenaline needle that Vincent must stab through her breastplate into her heart gj. Tarantino has crafted a film most people will ar not like or understand. He features the death and torture of innocent people for laughs, utilizes fake ^ looking rear projection as a serious technique, includes biblical scripture as the basis of violence and ^, supplies scathingly brutal language which is deroga- / tory to every ethnic group he can imagine. But given the context he is creating, the director is per- ^ fectly justified in all of these cases. His dark humor q about an alternative American landscape is at once at sickening, bitinj and extremely funny. Whether fact or fiction, "Pulp" is one of the most uncompromising and enjoyable films of the year. It reflects the whimsical notion that life is not always glam- gi orous or logical. Gritty and episodic, "Pulp Fiction" is the work of a stream of consciousness moviemaking genius. llCZr mm mmm*. Vf?t~ ^|3g || mm s Extra w&i w& !%$& Crodit wmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm '" When You tial fluid of life and there is >r good quality plasma. 1^1011^10 cines save thousands of -pi re in our community. JT 13SIT13. your time each month can \^\n Cqvp ence in someone's life. 1UU kJdVv UDENTS and others to help T JVPC alth with people in need. If * tars old and meet our health AA/lsilrk in start saving lives while V Illlv s* Miles inc. Earning st, 254-6683 Money! tuttrtng tnd Ittrit fttor to .1 >?? ?. anaialtmmauttf doner 1 I Dec ... Don't G 97 \ %-Sl le Koger Center presents "A Festlvi inday, Oct. 23. Tickets are $10 for faster Series vorld-renown THER WUSSEIL Staff Writer 1 If you are looking for an elegant ? ay to spend the evening or simply, ant to expose yourself to a bit more f lture, you might want to consider ing to tonight's concert at the Koger inter. Guest pianist Alexei Sultanov will i playing with the South Carolina lilharmonic's Master Series. Sultanov, who is known for his chnique and phrasing, will be perrming Tchaikovsky's Piano ConcerNo. 1. Also to be performed in the i a . . if . .1... n _ cona concert 01 tne master aeries T e Berlioz5 Symphonie Fantastique id Chabrier's Espana under the diction of Nicholas Smith. t 'The Master Series focuses on heavy > assical music by composers like c ozart, Strauss, Dvorak and I lostakovich, and it features guest ? tists from outside the country," aanne Chin, Philharmonics' marting assistant, said. . > Sultanov, a native of Tashkent, c zbekistan, formerly part of the So- ? it Union, began his career at a young * je. Sultanov, who studied at the Cenal Music School of the Moscow State t mservatoiy, made his formal debut j the age of seven. Not only did Sultanov start at a ung age, he earned world-wide recogtion at a younger age than most. 1 iltanov won the Eighth Van Clibum 3 iternational Piano Competition in 1 >rt Worth, Texas, in 1989. He was i e youngest of the 38 competitors. > However, Sultanov did not rest on a fTHE NUTTIEST PL RIVER CI r\ MwemwwBNMMamaBGM Jjii SUNDAY is "BLOODY SUNDAY jin $3.00 GIANT Bloody Marys Wjy MONDAY NIGHT - $3.00 Pitche ^ & 15< Wings WEDNESDAY is REGGAE NIC $1.25 Red Stripe & $2.25 Myers Rum Friday - $1.00 Natural Lights /?& & $9.00 Pitchers of Long Island 1 MM & Electric Lemonade |H HAPPV \J?/ Monday DOMEST] X\ IIVX3E?<Z>X?.T fHOUSE LIQ I1_JI ember Grad iet Left Out i With your 25 graduation an and envelope; Announcemer Your name Undergrad/ Gi Your major/] Packaging & 1 L included I iBalfoi ^ |I609 BLOSSOM ST. 254 |V9HE&^ % m ST ill^lllllllly USC Marketing and MwSa il of Strings" at 7:30 p.m. on adults and $8 for studants. welcomes ed Sultanov lis laurels, nor did he shy away from sxposure. Since his victory, Sultanov has perormed in both Europe and America, de has played with the Moscow, Halle, ?nvol rVmoor+croKmiw anH Rnvcil PViil. larmonic symphonies and in the fesival La Roque DAntheron in Europe, ^s for American performances, Sulanov has played with the Detroit, Atanta and Pittsburgh symphonies and vith the Rochester Philharmonic and he Philadelphia Orchestra, as well is appearing at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Added American exposure for Sulanov has occurred in the form of television appearances. He has performed >n the Today Show, Late Night with David Letterman and the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. If the Philharmonic performs as veil tonight as it did in rehearsal, the ?ncert will provide an evening of mulic and culture well worth the price of ;he best seats in the Koger Center. For more information, you can call he Philharmonic box office at 254?HIL (254-7445) or stop by from 9 i.m. to 5 p.m. today. Besides the Master Series, the Phillarmonic offers two other series this fear, the Philharmonic Pops, which ncludes the laser show and the Famly Classics, which is geared more tovard children. Both start in early November. ACE IN 5-POINTS TY CAFE I Ice Tea jfik rc - Six ^ S - $1-75 :s - $3.00 Smb. uor - gHy - $3.00 uates in the Cold! personalized nouncements 5 for $38.75 its include: *ad Degree urogram landling 1 "P 1609 Bloeaom Street Credit Card Orders Call -5330 ? 254-5330 S5555t VISA ^iiiiiiiiiiiiiwi;^